For Luck
by Laura W
Summary: Here's another for the kiss meme. This request was #19: For Luck. Set a few months after "Endgame." Janeway x Chakotay. I wrote it on my lunch hour so it's completely unproofed and unedited, but hopefully still readable!


NOTE: Another one for the kiss meme. This one was "For Luck." Enjoy.

 **Kiss # 19 – For Luck**

I don't know how I let myself get talked into these things.

Actually, that's not true. I know _exactly_ how I let myself get talked into these things, or at least this particular thing. Phoebe is family, after all. So when my only sibling called this morning in a panic because she has a gallery opening in Greenwich Village this evening and no one to watch the kids, I agreed to replace the babysitter in a heartbeat.

"Are you _sure_?" she asked, but I could see the gratitude in eyes and hear it in her voice. "Liam's almost old enough to take care of it, but it would be the first time for him and —"

"No worries, Pheebs," I said. "I'll beam to Bloomington at 1700 hours. Five o'clock. It'll take me about ten minutes to walk up from the kiosk. Just leave something for me to feed them."

She sighed in relief. "Okay. That's perfect. Thanks, Kathryn. We'll be home as soon as we can."

I waved my hand vaguely at the screen. "No problem. Tomorrow is Saturday. I can stay over if you need me to."

"We'll try to be home early so you don't need to."

"It's not a problem either way. Anything I should know?"

My sister cocked her head to one side, thinking. "Liam's got basketball until 6:30 but he can walk home on his own. He eats like a horse these days so I'll leave an extra pizza just for him. Katie and Finn will probably drop on you by 8:00. Just put them to bed and then you and Liam can spend the rest of the night talking shop."

I smiled. The fourteen-year-old son of Phoebe's husband Seamus, Liam O'Leary had been bitten at a young age by the Starfleet bug – at about the same time, in fact, that his bachelor father had met and married Phoebe Janeway, sister of the infamous Captain who'd stranded her ship and crew halfway across the galaxy.

"That sounds just fine, Pheebs," I said. "Any rules for the babysitter?"

She narrowed her eyes at me. "No booze and no boys."

I sat back in my chair and howled.

And that's how I got myself talked into beaming from San Francisco to Bloomington, Indiana, on a fine Friday night…after ten straight hours of meetings about the Brolelia refugee situation, each one more contentious than the last.

By the time I finally got back to my office after the last meeting, I was tired, hungry, and already on the verge of being late. I'd hoped to go home to change clothes and grab a cup of coffee at least, but there was no time to spare. I dashed across the quad, through the lobby of my building, and into the lift. "Fourth floor," I ordered. "And make it quick!"

The lift ride took twice as long as usual, or at least it seemed that way. When the doors finally parted I sprang through –

And collided with someone tall and solid and very familiar.

"Oof!" he gasped and steadied me on my feet. "Slow down, Kathryn!"

"Chakotay?" I looked up and caught his delighted smile, which was contagious. I gave him a brief hug. I hadn't seen him in three months, but it felt much longer. "What are you doing here? I thought you were still on leave!"

He shrugged. "I was. But then I got bored and anxious for my next assignment, so I came back."

"Next assignment?" I stepped back and took him in, all six feet of him, clad in a brand-new gray-and-maroon Captain's uniform. He looked good. Very good.

He nodded. "I met with Admirals Paris and Senek this morning. We worked out a few possibilities. But I wanted to talk to you first." He gestured back down the hall toward my office. "I was afraid I'd missed you. Do you have some time for me? I really need your opinion on something. We could go back to your office, or…" He took a deep breath. "I was wondering if you'd like to have dinner with me, Kathryn."

My shoulders slumped. Suddenly I wanted nothing more than to spend the evening with this man, my best friend and closest confidant, whom I hadn't seen since he'd broken up with his much-younger girlfriend after the debriefings and simply left the planet, and who looked _damn_ good in his new uniform. But I had a prior commitment.

"I'm afraid now is not a good time," I said.

He took a hasty step away from me, the smile fading from his face. "I'm sorry, Kathryn, I had hoped - "

I placed a hand in the middle of his chest to stop whatever he was about to say. "No, you misunderstand. I have to be in Bloomington in about two minutes to babysit my niece and nephews. But I'm free all weekend if you want to stop over and talk."

His smile was back in a heartbeat. "I'd like that, Kathryn. Call me in the morning?"

"Of course." I headed down the hall toward my office to grab a PADD and a few other things I needed. He followed along in my wake, as I'd known he would. "Where are you staying?"

"With Harry for the weekend. Then I'm going to start looking for something more permanent here."

I nearly bumped into the doorframe of my own office, I was so surprised. "Here?"

He nodded happily. "All the assignments Paris and Senek and I came up with are based right here on Earth."

I stared up at him. "I assumed you'd go back into space, now that you've gotten your promotion. You could have a ship!"

"Why would I want to go back out? I've seen enough of the galaxy for several lifetimes, Kathryn. I'm sure I'll get the itch again eventually, but for now?" He gave me a look I hadn't seen since long before Seven and Jaffen ever entered our lives. "I don't need a ship when everything I want is right here."

I am not ashamed to say that my knees went weak, just for a second.

"Okay, then," I blustered, ducked his gaze, and darted into my office. "I'll just call you at Harry's, then, shall I?"

He leaned against the doorframe. "First thing in the morning. I'll be waiting."

I grabbed a few random items from my desk and shoved them in a bag. "First thing. Excuse me."

With a gallant gesture, he ushered me from my office. He had taken the bag from me and shepherded me into the lift before I realized he meant to walk me all the way to the transporter kiosk. "Chakotay, I can manage this myself. I'm sure you have somewhere to be."

"Not really."

"Don't you have plans with Harry?"

"He has a date. Actually, he told me to make myself scarce this evening. I was hoping that I would…" He cleared his throat. "But it's not a problem. I'll find something to do."

I frowned. "You could call Tom and B'Elanna."

"I could." He shifted my bag higher on his shoulder. "How old are Phoebe's kids, again?" he asked as we crossed the quad, a little too nonchalantly.

"The twins are almost four. Holy terrors, both of them. And Seamus's son Liam is fourteen now. Taller than I am. Thinking about Starfleet Academy!"

Chakotay chuckled. "I can't imagine why."

I smacked him playfully on the arm. When he caught my fingers and folded my hand in his, I didn't know what to say.

When we got to the transporter kiosk, he handed over my bag. I gave the coordinates to the transporter tech and started to step up to the pad, but Chakotay stopped me with a gentle hand on my elbow. I turned back to him and, to my utter surprise, he leaned down and kissed my cheek.

It was all I could do not to raise my fingertips and press them to the place his lips had touched. "What was that for?" I asked.

"For…for luck," he said, smiling. "I've seen those kids, you know. They're quite a handful. You'll need all the luck you can get."

"Well, thank you. I think," I said, and stepped up to the pad.

Something made me stop the tech before she could send me to Bloomington, though. "Chakotay? Why don't you come with me tonight?"

He grinned and leapt up beside me. "I thought you'd never ask."

We stared at each other for a moment, then we both started to laugh. Something had been decided, something settled at last.

We were sprawled on the sofa with a bottle of wine when Phoebe and Seamus got home from New York, and I realized I'd obliterated the rules about booze and boys with a tricobalt device.

It was worth it.

###


End file.
